Anyone who has stopped by the O'Connell Center the past few months has noticed the forklifts and sounds of workers tearing out seats.
That's because the O-Dome just completed a $900,000 renovation project that will give the inside of the arena a new look heading into the 2011-12 season.
The biggest change to the multi-purpose facility will be noticeable in the lower bowl. Seats in the four lower bowl sections have been replaced. Aisles between the seats are wider and handrails have been installed to help fans get up and down aisles.
With the changes in the lower bowl, the O-Dome will lose about 200 seats from its capacity of about 12,000. The 30-year-old multi-purpose facility serves as the home for Florida men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, swimming and diving and indoor track. It also hosts concerts and special events.
"After 30 years, there was continual maintenance issues," O'Connell Center director Lynda Reinhart said. "The handrails have been a huge issue for many, many years. So those were the real driving forces to get something newer, a little more sturdy address some of the safety issues that we were concerned about."
In addition, bleachers that used to come all the way down to the player benches and underneath the baskets have now been raised. There are metal gates in the front row that separate the fans from the court of play.
The new seats are a darker shade of blue, but will remain bleacher-style seats. Reinhart said that installing chair-back seats in the lower bowl was considered, but it would have resulted in the loss of close to 1,000 seats.
"We just didn't want to do that to our season-ticket holders and our students," Reinhart said.
The project began May 14 and concluded June 24. In addition to the lower bowl changes, the men's basketball practice courts inside the arena were re-surfaced. Gate signs were re-numbered and work was done on the pool deck.
The $900,000 is coming out of the O-Dome's reserve funds. The University of Florida Athletic Association was not needed to kick in funds for the project.
"This has been on the planning phase for 10 years, so we've been putting aside money knowing that this has been coming up," Reinhart said.
Reinhart said the changes should enhance the fan experience at concerts or athletic events.
"It will be a lot easier for fans to get to and from their seats," Reinhart said. "A little bit more leg room. It definitely will look better. I think the color-scheme is going to be great."
